No such thing as a green consumer?

Project outputs

The project work has given rise to a number of academic outputs:

Journal articles

• McDonald, S., Oates, C., Young, W. & Hwang K. (2006), ‘Towards Sustainable Consumption: Researching Beginner Voluntary Simplifiers’, Psychology and Marketing, 23 (6): 515-534.
• Young, W., Hwang, K., McDonald, S. & Oates, C. Alevizou, P.J. (Under review), ‘Opening the ethical consumers’ decision-making black box’.
• Oates, C., McDonald, S., Hwang K., Young, W. & Alevizou, P.J. (Under review), ‘Marketing Sustainability: Use of information sources and degrees of voluntary simplicity’.

Book chapters

• McDonald, S., Alevizou, P.J., Oates, C., Young W. & Hwang, K., (forthcoming) ‘Decoding Governance: A cultural study of sustainable technologies’, In: Murphy, J. (Ed), Framing the Present, Shaping the Future: Contemporary Governance of Sustainable Technologies, Earthscan.

Conference papers

• McDonald, S., Oates, C., Young, W. & Hwang K. (2004), ‘Individuals, Governance and Sustainable Technologies’, Governance of Sustainable Technologies Network, Open University.
• Young, W., Hwang, K., McDonald, S. & Oates, C. (2004), ‘Understanding individual decision-making for sustainable consumption’, International Workshop on Driving Forces of and Barriers to Sustainable Consumption, University of Leeds.
• Young, W., Hwang, K., McDonald, S. & Oates, C. (2004). ‘Trade-offs in ethical decision-making’, The Inter-Disciplinary CSR Research Conference, University of Nottingham.
• Hwang, K., Young, W., McDonald, S. & Oates, C. (2005), ‘Branding as encoded business ethics in ethical decision-making’, International Association for Business and Society Conference 2005, Sonoma, California.
• Young, W., Hwang, K., McDonald, S. & Oates, C. (2005), ‘Decision-Making for Sustainable Consumption’, International Sustainable Development Research Conference, Helsinki, Finland.
• Oates, C., McDonald, S., Hwang K. & Young, W. (2005), ‘Marketing Sustainability: Use of information sources and degrees of voluntary simplicity’, Academy of Marketing Conference, Dublin.
• McDonald, S., Oates, C., Alevizou, P.J., Young W. & Hwang, K. (2006), ‘Communication Strategies for Sustainable Technologies: Identifying Patterns in Consumer Behaviour’, Greening of Industry Network Conference, University of Cardiff.

Seminars

• Dr S. McDonald, January 24th 2006 “Purchasing Sustainable Technologies” invited seminar at Science and Policy Research Unit (SPRU) University of Sussex.

Towards Sustainable Consumption: Researching Beginner Voluntary Simplifiers

Abstract

This article examines and extends the notion of voluntary simplifiers (VS). VS are individuals who have freely chosen a frugal, anticonsumer lifestyle that features low resource use and environmental impact. The article will begin by reviewing empirical work with VS and their mainstream counterparts, non-voluntary simplifiers (NVS). It will go on to identify and locate within this literature an intermediate group: beginner voluntary simplifiers (BVS). BVS may support some aspects of sustainability (such as buying fair-trade coffee or recycling domestic waste) without either embracing a complete lifestyle change like VS, or completely dismissing ethical or environmental features of products and services they consume, like NVS. Insight into the complex decision-making processes of BVS is crucial for the understanding of the concept of voluntary simplification and is therefore important for the advancement of sustainable consumption.

© 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Opening the ethical consumers’ decision-making black box

Abstract

The consumer as an agent of change is increasingly becoming the focus for sustainable development policies. However decision-making by ethical consumers (those concerned about ethical, environmental, social and/or sustainability issues) is complex. This paper presents and discusses an ethical consumer decision-making model, which advances consumer decision-making theory and Peattie’s (1999) notion of a context dependent portfolio of (possibly inconsistent) purchases. The paper uses data from interviews with UK consumers charting actual purchase behaviour and argues that ethical consumers translate their ethical values into ideal ethical purchase criteria such as energy efficiency and local sourcing. Actual purchase criteria are then developed by the incorporation of ‘conventional’ criteria such as brand loyalty and price, which compete with the ethical criteria. The new ethical consumer decision-making model details how ethical consumers develop their actual criteria using strong and weak criteria, non-criteria, information sources and situational context. The conclusions discuss whether consumers can be used as an agent of change when decision-making for sustainable consumption in a ‘free market’ is highly complex.

Marketing Sustainability: Use of information sources and degrees of voluntary simplicity

Abstract

The concept of voluntary simplicity is taken as a starting point to investigate consumers’ use of information sources when making purchases of sustainable technological products and services. Differences in information seeking and sources consulted and trusted are investigated with a view to increasing the uptake of sustainable domestic technologies such as energy efficient fridges and washing machines over more grey alternatives. Clear patterns both in sources used and the information seeking process were found between different groups of consumers and priorities for purchase were also identified. The results suggest different strategies for marketing sustainable technologies to these different consumer groups.

Decoding Governance: A cultural study of sustainable technologies

Abstract

In this chapter we will examine the relationships between sustainable technologies and the governance structures and relationships in which they are embedded. These structures and relationships involve government, business and civil society groups. We will present data gathered through 81 semi-structured interviews with a wide range of green consumers about their purchase processes for technology-based products, such as fridges, washing machines and light bulbs. We will examine these data in order to uncover to what extent the governance practices of public institutions, private companies and civil society groups are evident in the purchase (or non purchase) process. In other words we aim to discover how governance is being decoded by the end user (Du Gay et al, 1997).

Individuals, Governance and Sustainable Technologies

Abstract

The view presented here is one of sustainable consumption seen through a microscope.  In some ways, it takes the opposite starting point from much of the STS, innovation studies and governance debates because it starts much further down the production-consumption chain. In empirical terms, our level of analysis is not one of governments, industries, or even companies, but individual members of households. This is a ‘think piece’ in which we hope to outline one way of thinking about and researching sustainable consumption. We hope this will help us examine some of the assumptions inherent in our view as well as the views of other fields in a way which will help us debate the relationships between governance, technology and sustainability. It is written from almost entirely outside the literatures already identified. It is intended as an unravelling.

Trade-offs in ethical decision-making

Abstract

When individuals consider the adoption of sustainable lifestyles, they engage with an increasingly complex decision-making process. These every day decisions on practical environmental or ethical solutions often result in trade-offs between conflicting issues and can involve a “perplexity of … information” (Moisander, 1998). Conflict in the decision making process occurs because there can be many environmental or ethical issues surrounding each decision. For example, a positive environmental decision to buy low-energy light bulbs to reduce the household’s contribution to climate change is not straightforward because:

• The low-energy light bulb may be produced in a developing country where there are concerns over the standards of working conditions. In this case it is also being transported from developing countries contributing to climate change through greenhouse gas emissions from international transportation.
• Low energy light bulbs have more toxic waste arising from disposal than conventional light bulbs.
• The low-energy bulb may only be available from DIY or furniture superstores, which may require a special trip, or a car journey, which again involves use of transportation.
• Purchasing from DIY or furniture superstores also denies the local community shops from the trade (even though these local shops do not sell the low-energy light bulbs).

The knowledge or information which individuals might use to reconcile these factors is often not available or conflicting and confusing. Further, all these decisions exist in a wider social context. This means that decisions will be influenced by a wide range of criteria other than sustainability, such as access to products and services, time (perceived and real) available, peer pressure, quality and safety factors, aesthetics, and of course, financial cost. Even when environmental or ethical options are selected, they can be chosen for other reasons. Previous research has shown that people buy organic food for health or taste reasons and use low-energy light bulbs in order to save money (Oates and McDonald, 2003). To uncover this decision-making process, this paper will discuss the development of Craig-Lees and Hill’s (2002) theory of voluntary simplifiers and non voluntary simplifiers using exploratory qualitative results.

Branding as encoded business ethics in ethical decision-making

Abstract

To follow

Decision-Making for Sustainable Consumption

Abstract

The consumer as an agent of change is increasingly becoming the focus for sustainable development policies. The problem for policymakers is relatively little is known about how consumers overcome conflicting issues when making a purchase. For example, when a making a decision on which fridge to purchase; one fridge may be the best in terms of energy efficiency but the manufacturer also produces military equipment. The next fridge may be average in terms of energy efficiency but the manufacturer has not been accused of unethical practices by pressure groups. On top of these dilemmas over sustainable development issues, the ‘normal’ consumer decision-making criteria are also in operation such as size, colour, brand and price. This complexity in decision-making is the focus of this paper. It will start by presenting results from in-depth interviews with UK consumers on sustainable technology purchases. Each interview charted several recent purchases by a consumer detailing their actual decision-making process. The paper will present and discuss a sustainable consumption decision-making trapezoid developed from the results based on fixed and variable filters. The conclusions will discuss if consumers can be used as an agent of change when decision-making for sustainable consumption in a ‘free market’ is highly complex.

Marketing Sustainability: Use of information sources and degrees of voluntary simplicity

Abstract

The concept of voluntary simplicity is taken as a starting point to investigate consumers’ use of information sources when making purchases of sustainable technological products and services. Differences in information seeking and sources consulted and trusted are investigated with a view to increasing the uptake of sustainable domestic technologies such as energy efficient fridges and washing machines with low water consumption over more grey alternatives. Clear patterns both in sources used and the information seeking process were found between different groups of consumers and priorities for purchase were also identified. The results suggest different strategies for marketing sustainable technologies to these different consumer groups.

Communication Strategies for Sustainable Technologies: Identifying Patterns in Consumer Behaviour

Abstract

This work takes as its starting point the problem that consumers face in trying to operationalise their understanding of, and attitudes to, sustainability through their purchasing behaviour. We have interviewed consumers about recent purchases of technology based products such as cars, white goods, energy tariffs and light bulbs in order to understand how they reconcile the many competing objectives that a broad understanding of sustainability implies. Through this work we have identified three distinct approaches to being a green or ethical consumer. We have termed these groups Translators, Exceptors and Selectors. In this paper we will outline each these groups in detail and illustrate them using empirical data. Importantly, we will go on to conceptualise how consumers might move into and between these groups. We will then revisit the literature to examine in detail the challenges that this typology offers extant ways of thinking about ‘the green consumer’. We will identify ways in which we might influence the purchasing processes of the three groups in our typology through marketing strategies and policy initiatives. We will end by discussing important areas for further research.